Most certified organic cattle are calved, hot iron branded, castrated, vaccinated, sold and feedlot finished in a very similar manner to conventional cattle. However there are important differences: they are not fed ionophores, given antibiotics, implanted with artificial growth hormones or treated with chemical insecticides.
They also must be fed certified organic grain and forage and grazed on certified organic pastures. This means they are not sprayed with chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Most organic beef sold in Alberta today is feedlot finished. When organic calves are weaned they are usually not shipped until the process is completed the calves stop calling for their mothers and are on feed and water.
This helps to prevent them from getting sick see shipping fever below. After being shipped to an organic feedlot these calves are given grain in their ration at a gradual rate and fed more forages hay or greenfeed in their diet than conventional cattle. This gradual introduction to grain slows down the finishing process by a few weeks and keeps the organic cattle somewhat healthier. Most are ready for slaughter at 16 to 18 months of age.
Traditional on-farm finishing of small numbers of cattle is no longer the norm. Larger intensive organic livestock operations ILOs have evolved to meet consumer demand for organic meat. Concentrating and feeding large numbers of animals in one area for long periods of time have serious affects on our soils, watersheds and air quality.
The scale of feedlots can vary dramatically from on-farm finishing of a few hundred head to tens of thousands of animals. At what point does an organic feedlot become an environmental liability? The transportation of feed whether it is organic or conventional to support the feedlot industry, not to mention the petrochemical inputs fuel, etc.
Please see What About Organic? Grain finishing also dramatically changes the health benefits of the beef itself, please see What About Grass-fed Beef? Once finished most organic cattle are sold to commercial companies like Beretta , loaded onto cattle liners and hauled to large abattoirs for slaughter and processing.
Most consumers do not know what questions to ask to ensure what they are buying is actually meeting their expectations. We know of several high profile natural beef companies in Alberta that do not track their use of therapeutic antibiotics, use chemical insecticides to control parasites, feedlot finish their cattle on conventionally raised grain grain and use ionophores routinely to prevent acidosis. I have even been told by one of these companies that they do not consider sulfa dugs antibiotics.
Meat labeled as all-natural can come from an animal that has consumed any grain or forage product, organic or not. All-natural does NOT include any standards regarding farm practices; which means an animal can receive additional growth hormones or antibiotics. Additionally, there are no regulations on what the animal can or cannot consume. Unlike organically labeled meats, there is no governing body for all-natural meat products. Again, it is a common myth the animals cannot receive growth hormones or antibiotics.
If you want to purchase meat from animals that have not received growth hormones or antibiotics then make sure you purchase your meat from a producer or retailer look at the label that you trust to provide meat that meets your requirements. Naturally raised: This should not be confused or used interchangeably with all-natural — they are NOT the same thing!
The naturally raised marketing claim states that livestock used for the production of meat and meat products have been raised entirely WITHOUT additional growth promotants, antibiotics except for ionophores used as coccidiostats for parasite control , or animal by-products no longer a common practice USDA established naturally raised marketing claim standard, Great place for feeds, meat, and Non GMO products.
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